A COOL ESCAPE IN THE HEAT OF SUMMER

The air hangs hot and still. A tired bird chirps listlessly in the distance, and deerflies buzz around our heads with determination. We walk up the final hill and stop before a gaping hole in the ground. We’ve arrived at Lusk Caves. Descending into the outer pit, we notice a refreshing dip in air temperature. My energy picks up after the humid hike.

As we enter the cave, the temperature drops again. I pick my way along the edges, avoiding the gurgling stream that created these caves many thousands of years ago. I don’t know why I bother to keep my feet dry. Soon I’ll be wading through waist-deep water. We turn the first corner, then the second, and I can no longer avoid stepping in the water. We shut off our flashlights, stop, and experience true darkness. The stream continues babbling around our feet. Voices echo through the caves. The yellow beam of a flashlight darts across a wall up ahead and voices grow louder. Oh well… you can’t expect such an inspiring locale to remain a secret from others.

A trip to Lusk Caves makes an ideal excursion on a hot, summer day. How do you get there? Drive to Lac Philippe, park at Parent Beach parking lot, and follow the beach west to the end of the lake. From there you’ll be able to locate easily the Lusk Lake trail and signs to the caves. It’s a 4.5 kilometre hike. Just when you start to work up a sweat, you’ll arrive at the caves and the comfort of their natural air conditioning. Spend lots of time wandering, crawling, splashing and swimming through the ancient cavities, appreciating the quiet beauty.

Lusk Caves began 12,500 years ago with a rush of glacial melt-waters. Water, trapped under a two-kilometre-thick sheet of ice forced itself into cracks in the rock. That water eroded the soluble marble, leaving intact outcroppings of harder rock. Eventually, the gushing flow of icy water eased, but its eroding action continued at a slower pace. The tunnel’s distinctive keyhole shape provides evidence of this evolving history. The upper portion of the tunnels is wide, from the heavy flow of melt-water that formed them; the lower portion of the tunnels is narrow, caused by slower stream erosion that continues today.

The cave system stretches for 150 metres; its maximum depth reaches 10 metres below the surface. You won’t find stalactites and stalagmites in Lusk Caves; the caves are too young. You will, however, discover calcium carbonate formations growing from the ceiling in some parts of the system – beginnings of baby stalactites.

Versatility: that’s what I love most about exploring the caves. The subterranean tunnel system will entrance young children and hard-core adventurers alike.

Is there risk of getting lost underground? None at all. You can push the limits without worrying about marking the route you took.

The first time I experienced the caves, I stuck to the main tunnels. Because my hiking partners refused to venture through the darkest tunnel, I attempted it alone. When I reached the section where the roof dropped down to 30 cm above water level, I lost my nerve. You’ll find a convenient "chicken tunnel" along the right side; it allowed me to complete that section of the cave.

On my second time visiting the caves, other group members proved a little braver. We waded through the deepest section of water, then ducked under the low ceiling I had avoided before. We also explored the largest side tunnel. The low ceiling forced us down on hands and knees, but the tunnel is wide so we didn’t feel hemmed in.

The next time, we forged ahead as real adventurers looking for new territory to discover. We explored side tunnels and climbed up onto ledges – another new experience.

The fourth time I went, our group members didn’t expect the caves would offer anything new. We’d already explored every tunnel, or so we thought. But we were persistent, and shone our flashlights into the far reaches of every tunnel, finding passageways we hadn’t known existed. Slithering through the dirt on our stomachs, elbows brushing the walls, and heads bumping the ceiling, we squeezed through the smallest of tunnels. If we had had any claustrophobic tendencies, we would have learned about them that day. Luckily, we suffered no permanent damage to anything except our T-shirts. At one point, I emerged out of the ground from a jumble of rocks, startling a woman sitting nearby. (From the surface, you would never suspect that the rocks hide a cave entrance.)

When you’re ready to head back, you can either retrace your earlier route, or take a slightly longer, looping trail – a 5.4 kilometre distance. I enjoy the variety offered by this less-travelled route, along which you may see deer and otters. It’s hard to find the trailhead for the longer trail at Lac Philippe, so it’s best not attempting it in reverse the first time you hike to the caves. At the end of your hike, a refreshing swim in Lac Philippe awaits you. What could be better on a hot day?

The National Capital Commission encourages adventurers to explore Lusk Caves. The NCC won’t go as far as recommending any of the side tunnels though, probably because they want people to remember that caves can be dangerous. In other words, like so much in this world, use them at your own risk.

-- Heather Burke is an avid hiker who loves exploring new trails and tunnels.